The time to act on gun violence is now

It has been a little over a month since Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and opened fire, killing 20 first graders and six educators.

Even now, over a month removed, I cannot come to terms with what could make someone do something so terrible, so vile, to such innocent young children who had not yet had the opportunity to experience the wonders of life. But I know that I cannot, in good conscience, sit back and do nothing. The time to act is now. We cannot wait for another Newtown. We cannot wait and do nothing.

The President recently said the only way we can change is if the American people demand it.

Wednesday, President Obama addressed the nation and laid out a framework to address the gun violence epidemic that kills 33 Americans a day and has killed over 900 people since Newtown.1 Those proposals included a renewal of the assault weapons ban, universal background checks, prohibition of high-capacity magazine clips and a new law against gun trafficking.2

Obama also announced he will make 23 executive actions including giving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authority to conduct national research on guns and will build on existing anti-bullying efforts and provide more federal resources for school counselors and school resources officers.

We applaud the President for taking executive action to curtail gun violence. We cannot let GOP obstruction or the gun lobby be a reason for inaction. The proposals the President set forth today are common sense laws that a majority of Americans support — including gun owners — and WILL save lives.3